Mid Hudson Times Dec. 16 2015

TIMES MID HUDSON Vol. 27, No 50 3 DECEMBER 16, 2015 Page 44 SERVING NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR Councilwoman Gay Lee: ‘I know I am a bully’ A Newburgh City Council meeting turned ugly as council members once again came to an impasse over whether to begin a search for a new city manager. “I went through it three times,” said former city Mayor Nick Valentine, speaking about changeovers of city managers at City Hall on Monday night. “I don’t even want to give you the amount of money that we spent in order to get those contracts done with… Don’t let it happen again.” A long line of residents offered comments in support of City Manager Michael Ciaravino. “All I ask is that we don’t mess with what’s working,” said Bill Fioravanti of the Orange County Partnership. “I urge you to rescind this ONE DOLLAR Goldbacks win City Hall protesters clash with council By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] 3 vote,” said city resident Yaakov Sullivan. In the end, however, the council voted 4 to 3 against rescinding a November resolution that would start a new city manager search. Voting in the negative were council members Gay Lee, Cedric Brown, Regina Angelo and Cindy Holmes. The meeting became heated as scores of protesters - some who protested in Continued on page 4 Season’s Greetings from Broadway Santa poses with members of Footwork’s Dance Center at the Broadway Tree Lighting last Wednesday. More photos on page 22. WWW.MIDHUDSONTIMES.COM Voters approve new Good-Will firehouse By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] Voters overwhelmingly approved a bond to pay for a new firehouse in the Good-Will Fire District at a referendum held on Dec. 8. District residents voted 67-to-2 to approve the plan. “It’s more people than we’ve ever had come out to vote before,” said John Conner, deputy chairman of the district Board of Fire Commissioners. “It’s always good to see people are interested in taking part.” Voters also elected fire Commissioner Teresa Tragis and re-elected fire Commissioner Frank Valdina to the Board of Fire Commissioners. The 11,400-square-foot firehouse is slated to include larger bays, decontamination facilities, ample parking space and new utility connections. The structure will replace an 8,000-squarefoot, asbestos-riddled building that has served as the home of the Good-Will Fire Department since the early 1960s. The new building design calls for four bays with 14-by-14-foot entrances, a decontamination room, air compressor room, lockers, storage and training space, and bathroom facilities complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. From here, Newburgh-based architectural firm CSArch begins the formal design phases of the project, including the creation of contract documents. Continued on page 5